Asbestos Bill Needs Big Backing to be Heard
Article Added February 18th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
The asbestos bill that would provide a trust fund for asbestos victims would need the backing of more than 60 senators before Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist would bring the bill to the floor again.
The bill was shelved late last week after it failed to get the 60 votes needed to defeat a senator’s objection. The vote of 58-41 showed that many in the Senate agreed with the objection that the bill violated federal budget rules. The main backer of the bill states that 60 members would have to pledge their commitment to vote and beat the particular budget hurdle. Any other filibuster would need to be addressed and receive the proper backing before he would bring the bill to the floor once more.
Such a large measure of assurance could come in the form of a letter listing the senators who would back the bill. The bill would take asbestos suits out of the court room and settle privately with the aid of a trust fund established solely for the restitution. The bill is sponsored by Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania and Patrick Leahy of Vermont. The bill could have passed if Hawaii’s Daniel Inouye would have stuck with his original vote of “yes,” as would Frist’s vote itself, which he changed to “no” to leave open the option of asking the Senate to reconsider.
Article Added February 18th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
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